Alaska Ballot Confusion: One Dan Sullivan Removed

Alaska’s director of elections decided to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot for the U.S. Senate race. This decision may be appealed to a state court.

Previously, two candidates shared the name Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s ballot. This situation concerned Republicans, who alleged that Democrats were attempting to confuse voters to benefit their candidate, Mary Peltola. They believed that adding a challenger with the same name as the incumbent Republican senator, Dan S. Sullivan, could divert votes away from him.

Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher and Republican, rejected claims of any coordinated effort with Ms. Peltola. He maintained that he entered the race sincerely. Both Ms. Peltola and the candidate denied any cooperation between them.

However, Republican officials did not find these explanations convincing. Lt. Gov Nancy Dahlstrom initiated an investigation into his candidacy. Last Wednesday, Carol Beecher, the state elections director, issued a preliminary statement. It indicated that Dan J. Sullivan needed to provide strong evidence of his candidacy’s legitimacy to remain on the ballot.

On Monday, Ms. Beecher confirmed that she received no such evidence. “A declaration of candidacy filed for the purpose of confusing or misleading voters and compromising the fairness of the ballot is not properly filed,” she wrote, declaring the de-certification of his candidacy.

She highlighted several points of concern. Notably, his intention to be listed simply as “Dan Sullivan” instead of “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.” appeared aimed at voter confusion. Also, she pointed out his initial request to be listed as “Dan S. Sullivan,” a name using the incumbent’s middle initial rather than his own.